Exclusive Rights of Burial

When buying a grave, the Exclusive Rights of Burial are being purchased, on a leasehold basis, for an initial period of 50 years. This can be renewed for a further 25 years towards the end of the initial lease. If the owner dies, they have an automatic right to be buried in the grave (provided there is space to do so).

Permission must be given by the owner for any burials in, or memorials placed on, the grave. If there is no living owner, the authority will need to establish who is legally entitled to the grave, and the “transfer of ownership” must be completed before a burial can go ahead.

Transfer of Grave Ownership.

If the Exclusive Rights of Burial are transferred, it is only for the remaining time of the lease period.

A transfer of the rights to a grave can be done whilst the owner is still alive by completing a “Deed of Assignment (pdf 34kb)". If the grave is no longer needed, it can be surrendered by completing a “Deed of Surrender (pdf 34kb)”; the surrender value being one third of the current purchase price as set out on the Deed of Exclusive Right of Burial.

Transfer of ownership is administered by the Cemeteries Officer at Woodvale Lodge. Tel: 01273 604020.

Transfer of grave ownership when the owner is deceased.

If the deceased grave owner made a valid will that requires a Grant of Probate, ownership can be transferred to the executors. The applicant must produce a sealed copy of the Grant of Probate and complete the “Probate Form (pdf 70kb)". If the estate is not of sufficient value for a Grant of Probate, ownership can be transferred to the executor by Statutory Declaration, and production of the will. They are then responsible for identifying the rightful owner and complete the transfer by a “Deed of Assent (pdf 34kb)"

If there is no valid will, but the estate is of sufficient value to need a Grant of Probate, ownership of the grave can be transferred to a personal representative of the deceased on production of a sealed copy of the Grant of Letters of Administration. Again is it then the responsibility of the representative of the deceased to identify the rightful owner and complete the transfer by “Deed of Assent (pdf 34kb)”.

If there are no executors, or letters of administration, the deceased is known to have died intestate, and there are specific rules when dealing with cases like this. The person applying for the transfer of ownership will need to complete a Statutory Declaration. This is a legal document produced by the Cemeteries Office and must be signed in the presence of a Magistrate or Commissioner for Oaths.

The Statutory Declaration will set out the facts regarding the original purchase of the Exclusive Rights of Burial, the death of the registered owner, intestate or otherwise and the relationship of the applicant to the registered owner. A death certificate may be asked for. The "Statutory Declaration Questionnaire (pdf 79kb)" will help you to collect together the information required for us to create this bespoke document.

Should you have any questions relating to the ownership of a grave or the transfer of ownership, please contact the Cemeteries Officers on 01273 604020.

Useful links to help transfer the ownership of a grave

The Probate Service

To get a copy of a will, Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration call 0845 302 0900, option 2 or visit www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk. There is a small fee and any cheques should be payable to HMCS. A copy is usually provided within 21 days. The full name of the deceased, date of birth and last known address must be provided.

The National Archives

If you need to find out if a will was made before 1858, or need to obtain a Death Certificate from 1837 onwards, you can contact The National Archives at Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU. Tel: 020 8876 3444 or visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk